Introduction to the Windows

Few of us have seen, or ever will see, the famous European Cathedrals, but all of us know that their stained glass windows are rich in religious significance and superlatively decorative in effect. Their color harmonies, changing subtly from hour to hour under varying light and shade conditions, contribute immeasurably to their inspiring character. A stained glass window is a mosaic of small pieces of colored glass artistically assembled by a craftsman sensitive to color and light and mood. These pieces vary in thickness and texture, and therefore also in color-tone. They are cut to size and held together by strips of grooved lead of various widths; the leaded glass is reinforced by iron bars anchored to the stone window frame and mullions. The pictures and symbols are hand painted by the artist on the glass with pigments which are then permanently fused into the glass by firing, or exposure to intense heat. This art, which was perfected in France and England more than eight hundred years ago, is one of the few crafts which is still practiced much as it was during the Middle Ages. To this day the glass is imported from Holland, France, England, and Germany. Our chancel, transept and nave windows were made by this old-world method.

The medallions in the nave windows have been planned and executed to instruct, as well as to inspire and please. To this end simplicity has been the theme, and all Latin and Greek phrases have been translated into the language of the people. Basically, they are Catechism symbols; all reflect the fundamental truths of God's own Word; some have been lifted directly from the 1943 edition of our Small Catechism. However, no attempt has been made to follow the sequence of this handbook of Christian instruction.

THE STORY OF OUR WINDOWS BEGINS in the southeast comer of the nave. Naturally, we begin "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost". A group of three windows is employed for each person of the Trinity; the center lancet features one of the best known symbols for each person; the side lancets summarize their special activity, as outlined in Luther's Small Catechism.